My 10 day trip to the USA

I was able to take a quick trip home to Oregon to attend my grandfather's funeral.  It was so nice to see most of my family!

I had to eat at Chipotle to get my burrito bowl!

I stocked up on Swedish Fish and Sour Patch kids.

Oh how I miss Panera! 

My Silly big brother and my sweet cousin.

More cousins and my sis on my left.

Izaak, this boy makes me happy!

Cousin Lavone and her goofy husband, Erik. :)

Welcome Winter! I forget how beautiful it is!

Easter Oregon is amazing!

Grandma celebrating her 90th birthday!

Love these folks! Family is the best!

Do you see the smily face in the snow?

My nephews got to keep some of their Great Grandpa's ties.

My awesome Bro-in-law hooked me up with a birthday dinner and dessert! Love him!

Some of my most favorite people in the world!

My sister is my BFF!

My mom and step-dad. Is it possible to love people so much!?

My fab little sister.

Our Hero, Our Grandpa.

My Grandpa passed away this January.  He was my hero and friend.  He served his country and family every day of his life. He and his amazing wife, were pioneers in our faith and taught us the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He will be missed very much but I know that he is very busy on the other side of the veil. I know he is taking care of our family and watching out for us!

 Grandpa Holdren holding his first baby, my mom.

 The two scandalous lovers . . . oh yeah, they have a story . . .

 My Grandpa at work. He was a pioneer in the use of hypnosis.

 Grandpa served faithfully for his country and even served during "Operation Desert Storm" in the 90's.
His life was spared many times during WWII. God had big plans for him.

Dallin's 14th birthday at Global Village and P.F. Changs

We kept hearing about this cool place in Dubai called, "Global Village." So, we decided to give it a look. It was pretty cool both in atmosphere and temperature! It was basically a big carnival with a ton of outdoor markets. There was a bunch of southeast asian countries represented and each selling unique wares to their country.

They had very musical parade showcasing each country. The different types of clothing and dancing was very neat.

 We took a spin on this big Ferris Wheel. It was a great way to see the sites!

 You just can't go wrong with P.F. Chang's! Happy Birthday to my 14 year old!!!

 Some local gals making some traditional arabic treats.

 Ice cream cake from Cold Stone! Yummers!

We feel very fortunate to be able to attend our beautiful new chapel in the UAE! It is the first chapel in the middle east. Elder Holland will be here next week to dedicate the building! We were very snug in a villa downtown and now we have three floors to fit in our two wards. The church is growing here very quickly.  We have amazing new members who inspire me with their powerful testimonies! The work will go forth!!!

From the outside. The church is easy to spot from the road because it is very tall and has a white dome on top.

It is very cool to have  a chapel again!

The baptism font. Ashtonn will get baptized here in June.

 We kinda missed the Christmas Card pictures this year so this will have to do! Better late than never! A gal here in Abu Dhabi from "Image Lounge" came to Al Muneera and did a great job with our pictures.

I can't believe how tall the kids are! They will all pass me up soon! (sniff, sniff)

Colette, 11

Ashtonn, 7

Bennet, 9

Dallin, 14

Emirates Zoo

We had a wonderful day and night at the Emirates Zoo. We enjoyed a full day of seeing, feeding and petting the animals.  You can tell which ones were our favorites. (BTW- Dallin was previewing the pictures he took on his phone, not texting or playing games!)

 The tiger is wishing he could have "take out".

 Even though they're 9 and 7 they still like to think they can ride the kiddie rides!

 Feeding the goats was a highlight. They are fiesty little guys and could finish a bottle in about 5 sucks.

 Believe it or not, there is a resort IN the Zoo. We stayed the night and this was the view from our front room! Colette is the one in the neon green pants.

 These two pictures below were taken right outside our room.

 Ashtonn got to volunteer in the sea lion show and enjoyed a nice wet kiss!

 Aren't the colors and patterns of the animals amazing?

 Reach for it . . .

 Our neighbors for the night. Very cool experience!